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A Northampton County Sheriff’s Office deputy died late Wednesday night while responding to a call in the Gaston area.

Sheriff Jack Smith said Makeem Brooks, 27, of Gaston, was traveling on Highway 158 when he lost control of his vehicle. The vehicle ran off the road to the left, struck a ditch embankment and overturned several times about a half-mile outside Garysburg.

Smith said Brooks had been employed with the sheriff’s office for about six months and received his law enforcement training from Nash Community College.

“He was a very warm-hearted person,” the sheriff said. “He was very kind and respectful, the kind of person who says ‘yes sir,’ and ‘no sir.’”

Smith said Brooks was a father and his death leaves a void within the sheriff’s office. “Many of us know and have been around long enough to know things like this happen from time to time. He was a bright young deputy with a promising future ahead of him.”

The crash which claimed the life of the deputy occurred around midnight.

Smith said the sheriff’s office will conduct its own investigation. “We haven’t had a chance to talk with the trooper. The family has been notified.”

There was no immediate answer at the state Highway Patrol as of this report.